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Congrats on your weigh in lindaa! :tt1: I'm sorry your vacation didn't go as you hoped. :tt1: My weigh in is tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. I can feel myself more bloated than usual. Changing my diet to include more good fats is probably part of the problem, but I have other things going on as well. The increase in humidity has changed my allergies. I now have a rash from my perfume so have to stop using that. It's not because it's a new fragrance, the bottle was almost empty and I was about to buy more. My chest and inner forearms have lots of little red spots, similar to heat rash. My hair is still falling out, but I don't expect that to change overnight, only now it's gone curl crazy as well. :thumbup: I look like William Shatner in his bad perm days. :smile: Thank goodness I have an appointment this morning to fix that problem up. I just feel fat today. It's not just in my head. My tummy is bloated and my feet are swelling at night. It's not Aunt Flo because I'm mid-cycle. I'm blaming the weather. :tt2: I'm afraid to get on the scales. I'm afraid not to get on them. If I get on them and I've gained more than 3 lbs I'll be depressed. If I don't get on them I'll continue to live in denial and make more excuses for myself in order to excuse any weight gain. *sigh* I know I've eaten more this week to try and get the good fats in. I need them. I know that. What's scarey is that I shouldn't be afraid to have gained 3+lbs. I know I shouldn't. But I will be. I'll be afraid it's the start of it all unraveling. I know I can't eat like I used to last year. It's just not physically possible. But I'm still afraid of gaining it all back one pound at a time. I've been working really hard on my head health. It's been working well. Up until today I think. :tt2: It's not good for me to beat myself up. I stopped doing that. But today....... *sigh* I wish I could sleep through days like this and only wake up on the days that I have more energy than a 3 year old. :tt2:

Are you both serious? Gastric bypass has so many drawbacks!! I looked into that long and hard. I have friends who have done gastric bypass. While they did lose alot of weight initially, they are both struggling to keep it off. They each have dumping syndrome. That very well could last FOREVER!!!! I know a few people that had gastric bypass many years ago and have now regained much of their weight. My own experience has been awesome with the LapBand. I have lost over 60 lbs in 6 months and am now training for a triathlon. I never thought I could have results like this. I once said that the LapBand changed my life. I have now amended that to : I have changed my own life, the LapBand has made it simpler. I know of a few ladies that were banded the same day as I was that aren't having the same type of success as I am. They have lost over 30 lbs. They are comparing themselves to me and others who are doing better. Remember, we each have our own weight gain history, so we'll each have our own weight loss history. Men and women are different as well. Think long and hard before you cut your stomach away. The LapBand is reversible, if necessary. Gastric bypass really isn't reversible. Good luck whichever decision you make!!!

Greetings everyone, Thanks for sharing your experiences with AETNA. I'm just completing my six month supervised diet and my concern is that I actually didn't lose any weight during the six months--I actually gained (I lost the six months prior to being medically supervising using Weight Watchers and attending 2-week program at Duke DFC). When I read the requirements from the AETNA website, it doesn't say that you actually have to be successful at the weight loss during the six month period, just supervised. My PCP agrees and says that there are many reasons for situations like mine and if anything, the weight gain shows that I do need the help that the LAPBAND will provide so he will provide the letter of medical necessity anyway. However the Doctor at the Bariatric program where I participated in six-month supervised diet feels that surgeon will not perform surgery because of the recent weight gain (although I'm still well within the parameters) and most importantly that AETNA will NOT even consider or approve my application for the surgery -- VERY DISCOURAGING. Has anyone had this experience? Specifically with AETNA either approving or denying the application although recording a weight gain during their six month supervised program? I do appreciate your replies, remarks and sharing! Thank you in advance for your continued generosity of spirit and support!!! Daniel in Atlanta P.S. I'm still trying to decide between a surgeon at Emory Crawford Long Hospital and DeKalb Medical -- any feedback on either?

innotu, I'd like to throw out my opinion, and perhaps it'll make sense. I hope this help. Please, anyone that disagrees with me, please, please, please, post your concerns. I too would love to hear them.... ....anyways, here goes..... I've always had a dislike for complete Meal Replacements, instant breakfasts, soya powder, weight gaining powder,slim fast, etc. Why? Because they are awefully expensive and I feel that I'm getting ripped off when I'm paying top dollar for 'calories added'. lets face it, it is extremely easy to find clean and healthy calories to add to you drinks. Additionaly, in some cases, like slim fast and instant breakfasts, you don't even get enough protien. the average soy powder is only 60% protien. So here's my suggestion: make your own meal replacements( at least make as many as you can, and save the canned meal replacements for convenience only) 1- start with a protien powder that is 90% pure or better( dont waste your money on the more expesive 'whey isolate'. the main advantage to a whey isolate is that it's supposed to be easily absorbed because it is missing an ensign that is in milk.....I plan on using milk, so I'll be adding that ensign back into the drink. Hence, whey isolate is a waste of money) 2 - add your choice of milk ( mine is skim milk) 3 - add an apropriate quantity of healthy oil ( Omega 3 oils like olive oil or flax oil) 4 - add a health source of carbs like fruit ( I have type 2 diabetes, so I find that strawberries or apples work well for me)

Oh, I hear your frustration. I deny it but deep down I know that all my running is the reason for my back pain. I am thankful beyond belief that I have no disc degeneration or pathology, its entirely postural/muscular in my case, and one day there is a small glimmer of hope that someone will be able to help me with it. But I know that I feel better after about two weeks of no running, all that awful knee back and foot pain I have on rising disappears. But I cant stop, I'm afraid of weight gain yes, but that's not really it. I truly love running. I will have to face it sooner or later, my hope is that I can run just enough to be able to participate in races, and go to the gym the rest of the time - so maybe run no more than twice a week. Its all you can do, suffer the discomfort (which is what I choose for now) or find an alternative.

Hi. My name is Alllie and I had my surgery in June of 2003. I started at 300 and I lost 120 pounds with in 2 years. Things were going great. I was looking good, feeling good... then I went and had a fill - I guess it was too tight - I started throwing up bile in my sleep, couldn't even recline without burping up nasty stuff. I refused to go to the doc for a while- because I wanted to keep losing weight. When I finally went back- it seems as if I had turned my esphogaus into a baby stomach. That meant that I had a stomach in my esphogaus, the band stomach and then the regular stomach. They took all the Fluid out of the fill - I started eating like a wild woman- seriously - with in a month- I think that I gained 20 pounds. So - Over the next 2 and a half years- I have been filled and unfilled so many times. Sometimes I can eat whatever, whenever. I'm back to being filled at 2.8 - and haven't lost anything with in a few months. My weight is back up to 280 and I feel like such a failure. I didn't tell many people that i was getting this surgery- and I'm glad that I didn't - due to this. I'm wondering if anyone has been in a situation similiar to mine and what they have done to help get back on track. Thanks Allie

i have never used depo but because of my gradual weight gain after high school i haven't had a period in almost 5 years.. dr told me that if i loose weight then i willstart to have cycles again so your weight could def be a factor in the no periods.

Jody, I hate the temporary weight gain from the TOM, but since I usually drop 3-5 pounds after, it always works out in the end! You're doing great, keep up the good work!!!:scared2::thumbup::thumbup: I got another Couch to 5K session in tonight. Have a great night everyone!!!

I dont have a murmur, but I do have a PFO, which is a hole in the heart. My cardiologist has done every test under the sun and everything is normal, however, I still have dizziness, migraines, and just fatigue. He cleared me for the surgery, but Im having more pain, than normal. They can operate and close it up. PFOs are birth defects, I lived my whole life not knowing I had this. And it could contribute to weight gain due to poor circulation. I think that you should be ok. With murmurs, I dont think that they can go in and patch it up like they can a PFO. But, do more research on murmurs, see what you can find. Good luck.

My surgeon recommends that I weigh every day for the rest of my life. He said it's a lot easier to fix a 5 pound weight gain than it is a 30 lb weight gain. If it ever becomes something that messes with my mind or makes me upset or uptight, then I'll cut back, but for now I'm fine with it. I remember reading a post a while back written by a woman who said she'd been in tears over a 2 lb weight gain. I thought to myself that someone who is that affected by the numbers on the scale shouldn't be a daily weigher.

During my first trimester I lost weight. I really don't remember now how much - maybe I posted it on another thread. I would guess 15 - 20 lbs. No morning sickness, I just didn't have any appetite. Well, let me rephrase that. I haven't had any appetite to speak of since 3 days post-op (nearly 2.5 years ago), but I really just didn't want to eat - even more so. Since the end of my first trimester I have gone up about 6 lbs. Part, if not all of that is Fluid - I've started getting cankles if I sit for longer than about 2 hours. But regardless, I'm still at least 10 pounds less than when I conceived. This is such a big head game. I am trying to remain very aware of my weight gain and monitor it closely. About 3 weeks ago I had an unfill because literally overnight I went from fine to too tight, after over a year of being fine. I suspect the pregnancy played the starring role in that. This has really impacted what I can eat, so I have to be extra diligent and ensure that I'm balancing "can" with "should" and "need to." People ask me, "Are you showing yet?" and all I can do is tell them, "I don't know." "Are you gaining weight yet?" "A little..." I've lost in the neighborhood of 180 lbs, and still need to lose about 40. There's more flabby skin and droopy pannus on me than most people will ever even think possible. But lately I feel like my stomach is larger. My profile doesn't seem as "almost flat" as it used to. And I know my uterus is larger, because I can clearly feel it.

:rolleyes2:Does anyone who has had the lap band procedure also have bi-polar health concerns? I have been reading about possible weight gain from the meds that the doc puts one one and wish to know if anyone has had problems with their plan?

I agree, it's probably just your body adjusting. Maybe you aren't eating enough calories. Also, how much sodium have you been taking in? It could be water weight gain and not actual poundage. Don't worry, it'll start coming off again. Good luck!

Hi Everyone. My name is Mary and I live in Las Vegas. My band date is June 5th! I am married to the love of my life - we will have our 8th anniversary in October, but we met 33 years ago in Europe! I am a retired Army nurse, and then I retired a second time from the Healthcare technology industry. My husband is also retired from the Army and the federal government. We are now blessed to enjoy everyday together and to travel often. I became ill about 6 years ago and that was when the weight gain spiraled out of control. I have lots of things to look forward to and I want to be able to enjoy my health everyday. The lap band is the most important thing I can do to get my health back in order. I love that we have this group! I want to hear every detail about everyone's experience. I am scared about the procedure but NOT about the journey. Just want to get past that anesthesia! You are all in my thoughts and prayers. In a few days, it will be our month!!:sad:

Every morning; it helps keep me on track. Sometimes I forget, but I weigh in most days. I think after losing over 100 lbs though, I'm at the point where I'm not obsessing over it -- I know to look for the overall trend and not get upset about minor changes. It's given me a good feel for my usual fluctuations over the course of my "month" (5 weeks for me), and that's good info to have going forward so I can address minor weight gain at 3-5 lbs before it turns into 10 or 20 lbs. That's my plan anyway. Who knows if it'll actually work. :sad:

On my quest to find another GP. On top of denying me, he prescibed Zoloft, and when I looked up the side effects, number one was weight gain!! Now I don't really feel depressed accept being overweight. So how is putting on more weight going to make me feel? I threw my prescription in the trash! Just hope I don't have to do another 6 months with another doc!

I just joined this forum last night. I just put a post in the intro section http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/need-go-back-fill-after-3-yr-absence-weight-gain-rhode-island-64424/ I too have been off the "wagon" for the last 3+ years and wondering if I was alone or if I could restart the whole process. TS, thanks for your post, It really helps to know that not everyone has a sucess story. I ready to do whatever it takes to get down to my ideal weight but I need to levage this lapband since i went through all the work of getting it. Chris

I had my surgery done by Dr. Pohl (Johnston, RI) back in 12/04 (I was 34)and had a couple of fills in the spring of 2005. The last office visit was.. lack of a better word, Painful!!! They spent 40 minutes stabbing my belly with a long needle trying to find the "fill reservoir", they couldn't find it since I had a lot of scar tissue. So I ended up having to reschedule and go to Roger Williams Hospital (Rhode Island) and use an X-Ray machine so they could find my reservoir and filled it. That was the last time I saw Dr. Pohl or his office, life got out of balance after that when I went through a divorce, job lose and almost a foreclosure in the next 2 years after that. It was a tough couple of years, I didn't bother with the fills, weight or even a diet, I was just doing whatever to get through life.. Now my life has been rebalanced, I have a wonderful fiancee, great job and I'm finally happy with my life! Now I want to get my weight under control and live a healthy life. I was at 301 (5' 8") when I had my surgery in 04 and got down to 230 in 05. Now, over time, I'm back up to 255, I was eating whatever and whenever I felt like, the stress was killing me and I wasn't exercising either. In time, I noticed that the lap-band doesn't really restrict anything anymore except for when I eat food quickly, it ends up getting stuck and I have to .. Well you know... I can now eat as much food I want without feeling full. For all I know, the lap-band could have stretched or worst, slipped. Do you think the doctor will help me start all over again? I'm not too crazy about Dr. Pohl or the Dr guy who did me fills with Dr. Pohl, but I need to finish what I started! Can I start over with another Dr (any suggestions)? Will I have any problems with fills with my new insurance (was BCBS now it's UHC)? I'm going to call Dr. Pohl's office this week and see what my options are. Anyone ever do this, go a few years without Dr. care and then go back? Any comment or ideas? PS this Forum is great, back when I had my lap-band in 04, there was very little info on it. It's nice to see other people feeling the way I did/do. Christian

I not a good example in a lot of ways because I put back the weight I lost on the pre-op liquid diet which was around 25 lbs, 10% of my body weight at the start. Actually I was around 253lbs when I started. Today I got on the scale and it was 245. something, no shoes though! Anyway a lot of my issues have been "head" related and not everyone has that easy of a time. But I refused to give up, jeese, after $30,000 for a little band I'm not going to revision because I haven't worked out all the "kinks", that's figuratively not literally. As many know I've had a few "fill" issues and are probably different for everyone. There have been some mistakes made in my fills which cost me some of my motivation. I'm also on some meds which tend to slow down my metabolism. I'm also almost 50, enough said. I have to move past this and even if I don't get down to what most bansters want as their goal weight, I'm looking at 200 lbs and am 5'6", I still am going to give it a try! Now if brandyII can get the GD scale moving on the down side instead of the wrong direction for a change then you guys can too. That hunger thing, is it around PMS time? I know it's my hardest time and I also have PCOS. It's the worse and when I want sweets which we all know miraculously go through the band like water!!!!! Or are you hungry all the time. I still get hungry and I think it's good to know what hunger feels like and if you have a band and eat food the hunger should go away. If this isn't happening I'd discuss it with your doctor and none of that I'm too embarrassed to see my doctor crap because I'm a failure. He gave you that band and he should seeing this thing through with you not against you! He's not the one that has to live in your body though so it's up to you to be proactive and get whatever help you need from your doctor. Fills are tricky things, believe me I know, getting one doesn't always help, it can work against you. Those that have hit the perpetual "sweet spot" are very lucky people because I myself don't necessarily know if it's possible, I believe they can change for many reasons anyway especially with weight loss it's going to change. Anyway we're here to support you, don't want you giving up by all means and if you need to talk and open up more about what you think is going on this is the place to do it. But don't forget your doctors are there to help you and I don't want anyone afraid to go discuss the weight gain/no loss issues with them because you don't want to face them. If they do have really, really bad bedside manners then I'd say get a new doctor but otherwise take control and tell him what you expect from your banding, you didn't go through this for nothing, brandyII.

I am being banded on 6/3 and the realization is really hitting home. I have to say I am a basket case also. I know I wasn't suppose to have any alcohol in my last 2 weeks but tonight I went out and had 3 cosmos. I feel really bad but I needed them to. Why????? I know that I am doing the right thing but I am truly scared about this surgery. I needed to feel that I can let myself go one more time before my new life. Am I going to be okay and still get the 1 lb weight gain off? I will but it will be alot of work for me as of tomorrow. Now I am down to the wire. I will be starting full liquids in a week and clear liquids the day before the surgery. I guess I will have to eat alot of chicken and salad starting tomorrow! I am glad I have the support of this group. Since no one knows what we are going through unless you are getting banded.

Nance not to be too personal but the protein drinks can be very constipating which can cause weight gain. My doc cut me down to 40 grams of protein a day because of that problem. Good Luck!!!!!!!

I do remember my daughter being on ambilfy and have a bad reaction. I may say something to my nurse practitioner about xanax because I think the clonapin maybe slowing my metab down a bit and I've reduced to once a day prior to bed. I posted about a depression program I watched and a drug to counteract the weight gain on "struggling lap bandsters" under "lap band complications" and am curious to see if anything comes up there about a drug I read about called zonegran or zonisamide. thanks brandyII

I was watching a program on PBS called "Depression: Out of the Shadows". Anywho, as one who has struggled with anxiety/depression and obesity for many years I have also struggled with the fact that having anxiety and depression contribute to my weight gain and vise versa and also the drugs that I take may also play a part in my weight issues. Back to the PBS show, there was a man on the show who had been profoundly depressed for a while and took a large cocktail of drugs that seemed to be working for him. He also took some medications that were to counteract some of the side effects of these drugs. He took a drug that I wasn't familiar with to counteract the weight gain side effect. Actually I'm going to try to go to the transcript of the show to see if I can find it but it was almost inaudible to me while watching. I then did a little research on the web myself and came across a drug called "zonisamide or zonegran". Has anyone ever heard of this before or have you been on them for this reason or anyone on a similar type of drug to counteract the weight gain side effects? I know there are certain antidepressants that specifically say they don't affect a person's weight but those are either drugs that haven't worked for me or not found to be true especially with the combination I take. And Wellbutrin has no affect on me whatsoever, just as an example. Thanks ahead of time anyone who has any info and would like to share, brandyII.:rolleyes2:

Thank goodness...I seriously worried about you all day yesterday. NO being too tight will not lead to faster weightloss...It will lead to all sorts of problems though. My bet is after an initial bit of weight gain (1-3 pounds) of your body getting back to its proper nutritional state that they weight will start coming off if you can eat the solid proteins and veggies. Please do not hesitate to PM me if you ever need to chat or get suggestions. So glad you are feeling better. Welcome to the life that a bandster SHOULD be living! You had to have thought banded life was hell!

Hey Terri! Don't be hard on yourself. When you had your surgery they pumped you full of liquids, this is what is looking like a weight gain. I lost 12 pounds the 1st week, however, I did not show any loss until day 5 or 6. Once it started showing up I was losing a couple of pounds a day for a few days.